one of the first sodas i ever reviewed was Boylan’s Creamy Red Birch Beer. it remains one of my top sodas, which i will admit, now years later, it probably a little too high for it. which is not to say it is not a great drink, but maybe not that great. no matter. now they have this “Limited Release” version with cane sugar. i suspect the limited-ness is pretty much how many they can sell. i am a little confused if the regular version is still made as well or not. either way. i do very much like the bottle here, very classic and old time looking, they pull that off well.
the taste is super good. this is just what a red birch beer should be in my mind. it has some wintergreen happening but it is subdued and other tastes come through along with it. those tastes are more on the herbal side, a hint of sassafras as well as other tastes i have only really tasted in birch beer so i associate them with the birch itself. the soda has a sweet taste that is less sticky sweet than the other version, perhaps it is ever sweeter with a bit less of a bite as well. i am surprised how much of a head this drink has and it even lasts a while, that is unusual for birch beers. red birch beers are a curious thing, although i’d rather have a white birch in general, they can be quite tasty as well. this one pulls it off to a tee.
Anthony’s Rating: 93
User’s Rating: 89
# of ratings:2
Log in to rate & save your personal root beer list!
| Type: | Red Birch Beer | Comes In: | 12oz glass bottle |
| Available: | AZ, CA, CT, DE, GA, IL, IN, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, VA, WA, WI, online | Obtained in: | somewhere in the swamps of Jersey |
| Head: | Medium | Sweetener: | cane sugar |
| Calories: | 170 | Sodium: | 35mg |
| Carbs: | 42g | Sugar: | 42g |
| Caffeine: | No | ||
| Website: | http://www.boylanbottling.com | ||
Ingredients: carbonated water, cane sugar, pure birch oil, natural and artificial flavors, vanillin, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness), red 40 for color, caramel color
I recently bought a case of this stuff, and even people that didn’t think they liked it are starting to see its glory. It’s just so good. I also give this one a 91-93. Not sure yet where to land it. The vanilla flavor is yummy. The birch flavor obviously tastes a lot like their brown birch beer. Wherever Boylans is getting their birch oil from must be a good supplier. It’s got a slight mint flavor without being too minty (even though there is no mint in it). I will have to try a few more to solidify my opinion, but so far I think this is about tied with their brown birch beer. The brown birch might have a more thirst quenching property to it that I like.